Multiparticulates are well known pharmaceutical dosage forms that can be utilized for a wide range of applications. When taken orally, multiparticulates generally disperse freely in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, maximize absorption, and minimize side effects. See, for example, Multiparticulate Oral Drug Delivery (Marcel Dekker, 1994), and Pharmaceutical Pelletization Technology (Marcel Dekker, 1989).
One application for multiparticulates is for delivery of drugs for which rapid delivery of the drug is desired for rapid onset of action. Such formulations must rapidly release the drug to the GI tract. For example, multiparticulates may be incorporated into fast-dissolving or disintegrating dosage forms (FDDFs) that rapidly release the drug when the dosage form is placed into the mouth.
In such formulations, when the drug has an unpleasant taste it is often desirable to delay the release of the drug until the multiparticulate has exited the mouth to improve patient compliance. In order to provide taste masking, the materials used to form the multiparticulates must be capable of satisfying two competing constraints. On the one hand, the materials need to be sufficiently robust so as to remain intact and provide taste masking in the mouth. On the other hand, the materials used to provide taste masking should be capable of quickly releasing the drug once the multiparticulate has exited the mouth. If the materials that provide taste masking are too robust, then the materials may undesirably inhibit or slow the release of the drug in the GI tract.
Another problem is that granules and multiparticulates can often present a gritty sensation in the patient's mouth. It is desired that the dosage form provide a pleasing feel in the mouth.
Another problem is that when such systems are used with drugs having a low aqueous solubility, the rate of release of drug from the multiparticulate is often low due to the low solubility of the drug.
There is therefore a need in the art to provide multiparticulate dosage forms that address one or more of the forgoing limitations.